According to the release, medical identity theft occurs when someone steals a patient’s personal information, such as his or her name and Medicare number, and uses the information to obtain medical care, to buy drugs or supplies or to fraudulently bill Medicare using that patient’s stolen identity.
The new tips and a printable brochure were produced by the HHS Office of the Inspector General and are available now at www.StopMedicareFraud.gov and www.oig.hhs.gov/fraud/idtheft.
The effort to help prevent medical identity theft is one part of the Obama Administration’s work to crack down on Medicare fraud, which includes the formation of the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team to combat Medicare fraud. The HEAT team includes senior officials from DOJ and HHS. HEAT team efforts include the expansion of joint DOJ-HHS Medicare Fraud Strike Force teams that have been successfully fighting fraud in South Florida and Los Angeles to additional cities including Detroit and Houston, according to the report.
As part of the effort to prevent Medicare fraud, CMS has required that all durable medical equipment suppliers across the nation, except for pharmacies, must be certified by Medicare as of Oct. 1, a requirement that assures beneficiaries that their suppliers are valid businesses and meet Medicare’s financial and quality standards.
To learn more about stopping Medicare fraud, visit www.StopMedicareFraud.gov. To report suspected Medicare fraud, call the Inspector General’s toll-free hotline at (800) 447-8477.
Read the release on the new Stop Medicare Fraud tips and information.
